Gordon Robinson | Grow older; never grow old
Published:Tuesday | October 14, 2025 | 12:07 AM
Today “senior citizen care” has become a national concern.
1970s family planning policies kept our population below 3,000,000. But, consequently, it’s an ageing population. If migration is brought into it....
I recommend an excellent article ( Gleaner; August 24) by Denise Eldemire-Shearer. She accurately analyses the issues including policy requirements to boost elderly labour participation and productivity; current fertility focus’s shortcomings; and ever-growing 60+’s needs.
She didn’t mention a bee buzzing in my bonnet. The elderly should, insofar as they can, help themselves by maintaining positive, creative mindsets.
Recently the world lost another stage and screen icon. Dame Patricia Routledge, best known for her portrayal of status conscious Hyacinth Bucket (she pronounced it “Bouquet”) in British sitcom Keeping up Appearances, died on October 3 at 96. In 2024 she posted an inspiring memoir cum letter:
“I’ll be turning 95 this Monday. In my younger years, I was often filled with worry; worry that I wasn’t good enough; no-one would cast me again; I wouldn’t live up to my mother’s hopes. But these days begin in peace and end in gratitude.”
Ageing looks slightly different from a male perspective:
When I was seventeen
it was a very good year.
It was a very good year for small
town girls and soft summer nights.
We’d hide from the lights
on the village green
when I was seventeen.
“My life didn’t take shape until my forties. I’d worked steadily on provincial stages, in radio plays, West End productions but I often felt adrift as though I was searching for a home within myself….”
Frank’s distractions were dissimilar:
When I was twenty-one
it was a very good year.
It was a very good year for city girls
with all that perfumed hair
and it came undone
when I was twenty-one.
“At 50, I accepted a television role that many would later associate me with; Hyacinth Bucket, of Keeping up Appearances . I thought it would be a small part in a little series. I never imagined it would take me into people’s living rooms and hearts around the world. And truthfully, that role taught me to accept my own quirks. It healed something in me.”
Frank was still fixated:
When I was thirty-five
it was a very good year.
It was a very good year for blue
blooded girls of independent means.
We’d ride in limousines.
Their chauffeurs would drive
when I was thirty-five.
“At 60, I began learning Italian….so I could sing opera in its native language. I also learned how to live alone without feeling lonely. I read poetry aloud each evening….to quiet my soul.”
It’s a little known fact Patricia was a classically trained singer whose voice was nothing like Hyacinth’s. She reminded me of Jean Stapleton, similarly classically trained, star of All in the Family
Frank was long since worn out:
But now the days are short
I’m in the autumn of the year.
And now I think of my life as vintage
wine from fine old kegs.
From the brim to the dregs
it poured sweet and clear.
It was a very good year
“At 70, I returned to Shakespearean stage something I believed I’d aged out of. But this time, I had nothing to prove….. I was no longer performing. I was simply being.
“At 80, I took up water colour painting. I painted flowers from my garden, old hats from my youth, and faces I remembered from the London Underground. Each painting a quiet memory…..
“Now, at 95, I write letters by hand. I’m learning to bake rye bread. I still breathe deeply every morning. I still adore laughter though I no longer try to make anyone laugh. I love the quiet more than ever.”
Patricia’s life contains a message relevant to every senior citizen:
“I’m writing this to tell you something simple: Growing older isn’t the closing act. It can be the most exquisite chapter if you let yourself bloom again. Let these years ahead be your TREASURE YEARS. You don’t need to be famous. You don’t need to be flawless. You only need to show up, fully, for the life that’s still yours.
With love and gentleness,
Patricia Routledge”
In 1961, It was a Very Good Year was written by Ervin Drake for the Kingston Trio. Since Frank Sinatra covered it for a 1965 album, it’s been his song. In 2001, Robbie Williams, formerly of British boy band Take That, used Sinatra’s original vocal track to create a duet for his album Swing when you’re winning.
Yes, we’ll need help but we can also help ourselves. Keep as active as possible. Seek new experiences. Don’t grow old. Grow older and wiser.
Peace and Love.
Gordon Robinson is an attorney-at-law. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com